In Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell used Anders Ericsson’s research (with Ralf Krampe and Clemens Tesch-Römer) as the basis for the “ten thousand hour rule”. By this rule, it takes some ten thousand hours of practice to master a practice/field. With Peak, Ericsson vigorously defends his work against this mischaracterization. Ericsson carefully dismantles the notion that time or talent are all it takes to make it to the top of the game, be the game chess, memory competitions, running, writing, tennis, or pretty much any endeavor.
Ericsson packs a lot of ideas in Peak. He starts with a systematic refutation of the notion of “perfect pitch” as a rare and mysterious gift only available to a few. It turns out that there’s a pretty reliable way to teach perfect pitch to 2-6 year olds. (There are some methods for adults, too, which can get you most of the way there.) Peak is full of delightful anecdotes of Eastern European psychologists who coach their daughters to become chess grandmasters and how Ben Franklin taught himself to write good. Ericsson outlines his research into how the best become the best. The secret is the worst secret imaginable: lots and lots of hard work.
I know, right? So disappointing.
Even at the upper echelons, in ballet, in violin, in chess, those who practice more beat out everyone else. It turns out that practice means a lot, but after a certain point, more practice hours aren’t the answer. This is the nuance Gladwell missed and Ericsson hopes to impress upon the reader: the road to improvement (and surpassing the competition) is through deliberate practice, practice that’s uncomfortable and requires focus. To be useful, one must be actively engaged in a goal with each and every practice session. Putting in three hours on the violin does little; putting in an hour working on a specific bowing technique changes things. Along the way, Ericsson offers advice on how to make your own practice more deliberate and effective so you can get the most from your time.
Recommended for readers who enjoy reading about the science of learning. Related reading: Carol Dweck’s Mindset, Ellen Galinsky’s Mind in the Making, and Peter Brown’s Make It Stick.
Link to the Freakonomics podcast episode featuring Ericsson, an excellent summation of the book.
Who are these hucksters that think it takes hard work and dedication to become one of the best? Everyone knows it takes a prophecy and a training montage.
The montage is key, as well as the background music. If it doesn’t have synth, GTFO.
One of the episodes of the Freakanomics podcast interviewed this guy about Malcolm Gladwell aND how he misunderstood Ericsson’s work.
It was a good episode, and this book seems interesting.
Thanks for the tip! I added a link to the episode to the review.
Oh! I would love to read a take down of Gladwell and his facile bullshit.
Hmm… *I* have nieces and nephews that are in the 2-6 age range. Maybe I should start working with them to learn perfect pitch… It would definitely make their future musical career, whatever it may be, a lot easier! (This is coming from someone without perfect pitch. Music theory would have been a LOT easier with that skill!)